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David Henderson (general)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir David Henderson KCB
, KCVO
, DSO
, LLD (11 August 1862 – 17 August 1921) was an officer in the British Army
who came to be considered as the leading authority on tactical intelligence during the early years of the 20th century. Henderson was also the first commander of the Royal Flying Corps
in the field and was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force
as an independent service.
on 11 August 1862 into a shipping family. His father, also called David, was a joint owner of the Clydeside
ship builders David and William Henderson and Company
.
Henderson entered the University of Glasgow
in 1877 at the age of just fifteen. While at university, Henderson read engineering and in his fourth year (1880–1881) he studied civil engineering and mechanics as well as office and field work in engineering. Henderson — for reasons unbeknownst to history — left to attend Sandhurst
instead of graduating from the University of Glasgow.
In 1895, Henderson married Henrietta Caroline Dundas, later known as Dame Henrietta Henderson. She was a Dame of Grace, Order of St. John of Jerusalem (D.G.St.J.) and was knighted in 1919 as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(DBE). The couple had three children, Ian Henderson
who also joined the Royal Flying Corps, reaching the rank of captain, Stewart Peter Henderson and Anabel Margret Henderson. Ian Henderson predeceased his parents, dying in a flying accident in June 1918. Dame Henrietta Henderson died on 14 April 1959.
Following officer training at the Royal Military College Sandhurst
, Henderson was commissioned into the British Army
on 25 August 1882, joining the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
. Henderson was a member of the Nile Expedition of 1898 and was wounded at the Siege of Ladysmith
during the Boer War
. In February 1901 Kitchener appointed Henderson his Director of Military Intelligence, a post he held until the end of the Boer War. His subsequent works, Field Intelligence: Its Principles and Practice (1904) and The Art of Reconnaissance (1907), did much to establish his reputation as the Army's authority on tactical intelligence.
In 1911, at the age of 49, Henderson learned to fly, making him the world’s oldest pilot at that time. In 1913 the control of military aviation was separated from the responsibilities of the Master-General of the Ordnance
. A new Department of Military Aeronautics was established and Henderson was appointed the first Director and, with the outbreak of World War I
, he took up command of the Royal Flying Corps
in the field. On 22 November 1914, Henderson was appointed General Officer Commanding the 1st Infantry Division and his Chief of Staff Frederick Sykes
took up command in his stead. However, Henderson did not spend long commanding the 1st Infantry Division. The decision to post Henderson and replace him with Sykes was not to Lord Kitchener's
liking and he ordered a reversal of the appointments. On 20 December 1914, Henderson resumed command of the Royal Flying Corps in the Field and Sykes was once again his Chief of Staff.
In 1915 Henderson returned to London
to resume his London-based duties as Director-General of Military Aeronautics, which Sefton Brancker
had been performing in his absence. This meant that when, in 1917, General Jan Smuts
was writing his review of the British Air Services, Henderson was well placed to assist. Whilst seconded to General Smuts, Henderson wrote much of what came to be called the Smuts Report
. It has been argued that he had a better claim to the informal title "father of the Royal Air Force
" than Sir Hugh Trenchard. Trenchard himself believed that Henderson deserved the accolade.
In January 1918, Henderson was made a member of the Air Council
, serving as its vice-president. However, having not been appointed as the RAF's Chief of the Air Staff, Henderson resigned from the Air Council in April, citing his desire to escape the atmosphere of intrigue at the Air Ministry.
Following his departure from the Air Council, Henderson returned to France where he served until October 1918. After the armistice, Henderson served as a military counsellor during the Paris Peace Conference
until the signing of the Versailles Treaty in June 1919. Henderson then became Director-General of the League of Red Cross Societies
in Geneva
, where he died in 1921, aged 59.
in 1902 for his work during the Second Boer War
.
In March 1918, Henderson accepted the honorary position of Colonel of the Highland Light Infantry
.
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Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, LLD (11 August 1862 – 17 August 1921) was an officer in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who came to be considered as the leading authority on tactical intelligence during the early years of the 20th century. Henderson was also the first commander of the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
in the field and was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as an independent service.
Early and family life
David Henderson was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
on 11 August 1862 into a shipping family. His father, also called David, was a joint owner of the Clydeside
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
ship builders David and William Henderson and Company
D. and W. Henderson and Company
David & William Henderson and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company, based on Clydeside. The company was founded in 1872 and continued to operate until 1936...
.
Henderson entered the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1877 at the age of just fifteen. While at university, Henderson read engineering and in his fourth year (1880–1881) he studied civil engineering and mechanics as well as office and field work in engineering. Henderson — for reasons unbeknownst to history — left to attend Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
instead of graduating from the University of Glasgow.
In 1895, Henderson married Henrietta Caroline Dundas, later known as Dame Henrietta Henderson. She was a Dame of Grace, Order of St. John of Jerusalem (D.G.St.J.) and was knighted in 1919 as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(DBE). The couple had three children, Ian Henderson
Ian Henderson (aviator)
Captain Ian Henry David Henderson MC was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.After service with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Henderson transferred to the Royal Flying Corps....
who also joined the Royal Flying Corps, reaching the rank of captain, Stewart Peter Henderson and Anabel Margret Henderson. Ian Henderson predeceased his parents, dying in a flying accident in June 1918. Dame Henrietta Henderson died on 14 April 1959.
Military career
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, Henderson was commissioned into the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on 25 August 1882, joining the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
. Henderson was a member of the Nile Expedition of 1898 and was wounded at the Siege of Ladysmith
Siege of Ladysmith
The Siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 30 October 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal.-Background:...
during the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. In February 1901 Kitchener appointed Henderson his Director of Military Intelligence, a post he held until the end of the Boer War. His subsequent works, Field Intelligence: Its Principles and Practice (1904) and The Art of Reconnaissance (1907), did much to establish his reputation as the Army's authority on tactical intelligence.
In 1911, at the age of 49, Henderson learned to fly, making him the world’s oldest pilot at that time. In 1913 the control of military aviation was separated from the responsibilities of the Master-General of the Ordnance
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished.-Responsibilities:...
. A new Department of Military Aeronautics was established and Henderson was appointed the first Director and, with the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he took up command of the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
in the field. On 22 November 1914, Henderson was appointed General Officer Commanding the 1st Infantry Division and his Chief of Staff Frederick Sykes
Frederick Sykes
Air Vice-Marshal The Right Honourable Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes GCSI, GCIE, GBE, KCB, CMG was a military officer, British statesman and politician....
took up command in his stead. However, Henderson did not spend long commanding the 1st Infantry Division. The decision to post Henderson and replace him with Sykes was not to Lord Kitchener's
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
liking and he ordered a reversal of the appointments. On 20 December 1914, Henderson resumed command of the Royal Flying Corps in the Field and Sykes was once again his Chief of Staff.
In 1915 Henderson returned to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to resume his London-based duties as Director-General of Military Aeronautics, which Sefton Brancker
Sefton Brancker
Air Vice-Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker KCB AFC , commonly known as Sir Sefton Brancker, was a pioneer in British civil and military aviation.-Early life:...
had been performing in his absence. This meant that when, in 1917, General Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
was writing his review of the British Air Services, Henderson was well placed to assist. Whilst seconded to General Smuts, Henderson wrote much of what came to be called the Smuts Report
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
. It has been argued that he had a better claim to the informal title "father of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
" than Sir Hugh Trenchard. Trenchard himself believed that Henderson deserved the accolade.
In January 1918, Henderson was made a member of the Air Council
Air Council
Air Council was the governing body of the Royal Air Force until the merger of the Air Ministry with the other armed forces ministries to form the Ministry of Defence. It was succeeded by the Air Force Board.- Composition :...
, serving as its vice-president. However, having not been appointed as the RAF's Chief of the Air Staff, Henderson resigned from the Air Council in April, citing his desire to escape the atmosphere of intrigue at the Air Ministry.
Following his departure from the Air Council, Henderson returned to France where he served until October 1918. After the armistice, Henderson served as a military counsellor during the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
until the signing of the Versailles Treaty in June 1919. Henderson then became Director-General of the League of Red Cross Societies
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, where he died in 1921, aged 59.
Honours
Henderson was awarded the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1902 for his work during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
In March 1918, Henderson accepted the honorary position of Colonel of the Highland Light Infantry
Highland Light Infantry
The Highland Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. In 1923 the regimental title was expanded to the Highland Light Infantry ...
.
External links
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Lt Gen Henderson
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Henderson, Sir David (requires login)
- Centre for First World War Studies, Birmingham University - Sir David Henderson
- University of Glasgow - Biography of Henderson
- thePeerage.com - Lt. Gen. Sir David Henderson
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